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Should You Invest in the First Trust Natural Gas ETF (FCG)?

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The First Trust Natural Gas ETF (FCG - Free Report) was launched on 05/08/2007, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Energy - Natural Gas segment of the equity market.

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Energy - Natural Gas is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 7, placing it in top 44%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $402.34 million, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Energy - Natural Gas segment of the equity market. FCG seeks to match the performance of the ISE-REVERE Natural Gas Index before fees and expenses.

The ISE-Revere Natural Gas Index is an equal-weighted index comprised of exchange-listed companies that derive a substantial portion of their revenues from the exploration and production of natural gas.

Costs

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.60%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.72%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Energy sector--about 97.40% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, Hess Midstream Lp (class A) (HESM - Free Report) accounts for about 5.48% of total assets, followed by Eqt Corporation (EQT - Free Report) and Western Midstream Partners Lp (WES - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 44.86% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF return is roughly 1.38% and is down about -3.76% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 03/21/2025), respectively. FCG has traded between $22.37 and $28.34 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.73 and standard deviation of 31.62% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 44 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

First Trust Natural Gas ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, FCG is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Energy ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

Range Global LNG Ecosystem Index ETF (LNGZ - Free Report) tracks RANGE GLOBAL LNG ECOSYSTEM INDEX. The fund has $5.57 million in assets. LNGZ has an expense ratio of 0.85%.

Bottom Line

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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